Conflict

The conflict between the Capulets and the Montagues contributed largely to the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. From the start to the end, the conflict has always been apparent. During the first opening prologue, the text states,
     "A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life,/ Whose misadventured piteous overthrows/Doth with their death bury their parents' strife./The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,/And the continuance of their parents' rage."(1.0.6-10).
This admittance from the very beginning indicates that the inevitable tragedy of Romeo and Juliet occurs because of the rivalry between families. This dramatic irony keeps the audience in suspense as they watch the tension unravel, knowing what will happen in the end. If the families' conflicts did not occur, the love between Romeo and Juliet perhaps would not have been so fatal. This is verified toward the very end of the play, when Capulet states that Romeo and Juliet were, "Poor sacrifices of our enmity!" (5.3.315). This use of dialogue helps confirm the audience's belief that the death of the two 'star-crossed lovers' was due to the families' disputes. Therefore, the lethal love story of Romeo and Juliet was largely because of the conflict between the Capulets and the Montagues.

Death by Miscommunication

Miscommunication was the key reason that Romeo and Juliet's innocent love story turned into a tragedy. The first arising problem was that the letter to Romeo was not received and therefore the plan could not be carried out. Balthasar told Romeo, “I saw her laid low in her kindred’s vault…” (5.1.20) Without the letter to tell him otherwise, Romeo could not have known that Juliet was not dead. If Friar Lawrence had delivered the letter himself, it is quite possible that Romeo and Juliet could have lived 'Happily Ever After.' This dramatic irony causes suspense and tension, whilst also being humorous, for the audience knows an important secret that most of the characters do not. This miscommunication between Romeo, Balthasar and Friar Lawrence is the most damaging to the future of Romeo and Juliet. Not only this, but the language choices of Juliet caused her mother to think that she wanted Romeo dead. Instead of confessing her love about Romeo, Juliet stated “Indeed I never shall be satisfied with Romeo, till I behold him – dead…” (3.5.93-94) This misinterpretation of dialogue caused Lady Capulet's hatred towards Romeo to be unchanged, if not heightened by the fact that he killed Tybalt, her nephew. This choice of sentence structure again causes dramatic irony as the audience knows what Juliet really means. Therefore, this inaccurate exchange of communication is the real reason to blame for the tragedy that occurred between Romeo and Juliet.

Age Is But A Number

The factor of age did not affect the tragedy that occurred between Romeo and Juliet. During this era, it was not abnormal for people of this age to get married and 'fall in love.' Although they had to rely on Nurse and Friar Lawrence for their marriage to be possible, this would have happened despite their age.  Their age was simply irrelevant in the story and the reason they were being secretive was not because of their age, but because of their family feud. This is verified at the end of the play when Capulet, Juliet's father, explains that the two 'star-crossed' lovers were "Poor sacrifices of our enmity!" (5.3.315) Clearly, Romeo and Juliet's age did not contribute to the tragedy that occurred to their innocent love story.

Capulet's Diary

I do not understand.

I simply do not. How can that witch decide for me whom she will marry? My only task is to find a suitable partner for her, and here I am! I have! And now, what does she tell me? She is too young? She is proud yet not proud?

If she were to marry Paris, than she would be safe and I know she would be happy, for he is a gentleman, and she would be secure. But now, she does not want that possibility.

And why? Maybe the most insufferable idea is that she simply has no reasoning! Why would one not want to marry such a suitable bachelor? Has she no brain?

I am upset because it is not clear to me what more I could do. I thought she would be thrilled, and that I would save her from her sorrow. But clearly, that is not the case. If she thought that she could carry on in life as a maiden, then she thought wrong. For, one day, neither wife nor I will be around and she shall have no one.

All I want is for Juliet to be happy and to be married, but she cannot see that.

Love?

I do not think that Romeo and Juliet are in love at all.

Firstly, I think that it's impossible to fall in love within one day. Romeo and Juliet seem to be in love with the idea of their relationship and marriage than each other. I think that Juliet wants to marry Romeo because in those days, it was normal for young people to marry (although not that young) so it is quite possible that not only did she want to feel mature, but also she wanted to feel that someone loved her truly. I also think that they both want to have sex so this is the best idea they came up with. Juliet says, "Spread thy close curtain, love-performing night, That runaways' eyes may wink, and Romeo" (3.2.5) They both clearly think that they love each other but I think that they don't really know what they want and they are consumed with the idea of love. The social pressure to get married young but also mixed with the rebellious idea to betray their parents has become this obsessive idea that they have.

Maus Q&A: Page 230/231

What do you notice about the level of detail in the drawings of Auschwitz? How is the narrative voice being used in conjunction with this?

The diagrams are quite detailed and dark. It shows the grime on the floor and the sketching is quite strong. This experience for Vladek would have been quite strong, so he cal recall it well. It's interesting how Art chose to draw a birds-eye view of the 

What is the effect of the only piece of dialogue on these pages?

The dialogue is extremely emphasised as it is the only dialogue on the double page. I think it is supposed to shock the reader and become quite confronting. The fact that the character can talk about the dead bodies so casually makes the reader feel uncomfortable and therefore thinks about it more.

The figures are drawn quite differently from the background. What is the effect of this?

Through the use of shading, the grimy background is contrasted to the white characters in the foreground. The characters are made to look pure and different.

Vladek

The young Vladek in the book, Maus, is quite different from the older Vladek in the book. The young Vladek has a lot of witt and always seems to have everything under control. Vladek uses his intelligence and charm to get his way in life. Although he isn't very modest, ("I was, at that time, young, and really a nice, handsome boy... People always told me I looked just like Rudolph Valentino.") Vladek could charm and convince anyone in his path. Not only did he have a beautiful girl fall head over heels for him, but he also had an extremely rich and intelligent girl who also liked him. Because of Vladek's kindness and wit, he was able to survive the war as a young boy.

Present day Vladek is very different to the Vladek that lived during the time of the war. We can guess that his compulsive and violent spurts of anger come from his experiences. Before the war he was relaxed and very relying on his money, now he is more conservative and cautious. He comes off as self-centred sometimes but he cares for most people, including Art. Vladek seems to be stuck in his ways a little in the way he tries to be respectful and proper, doesn't treat women with much respect and the way he acts around his children.